Daoist Competition

When that sword light slashed down, it truly caught Gao Ruowang by surprise; he hadn’t expected that Zhang Yan could precisely find his location amongst hundreds of Blood Essences.

Fortunately, he cherished his life more than anyone and, even when fighting against Chen Qingping of Hai Zhen Temple, he hadn’t exposed his True Body to others. He was especially attentive to his defense, carrying three Life Protecting Blood Banners on him. As the sword light slashed down, the Blood Banner was activated just in time, allowing him to escape into it, and the flag face took the blow, averting disaster.

His reaction was extremely quick; before the sword light could return and strike again, he had already tunneled out from the Banner, his body shaking to transform into more than a dozen Blood Essences flying in all directions.

Zhang Yan’s gaze flashed; he keenly detected that although Gao Ruowang responded promptly, his escape was rather hasty, with not many Blood Essences transformed. Now was a perfect opportunity to drive the sword in pursuit and launch a fierce attack.

So he waved his sleeve, unleashing more than a dozen Purple Cloud Divine Thunders, each striking towards the Blood Essences, accompanied by continuous thunderous sounds, with most of the Blood Essences being dispersed in the air. Only one managed to dodge aside unexpectedly, which was evidently the True Body’s location.

Zhang Yan recognized the main body, and his eyes turned sharply fierce. The sword ball moved with his thoughts, transforming into a rainbow and charging forth instantly.

In the clash of masters, a momentary decision could determine life or death.

Gao Ruowang, knowing he had missed the timing of a move and exposed a flaw, now had to face Zhang Yan’s storm-like offensive. If he misstepped, it would mean defeat and death. He immediately shouted, exerting himself fully to expand the tunneling light. The Blood Light above remarkably extended dozens of feet, remarkably reaching a hundred feet ahead before the sword light arrived.

Zhang Yan shouted crisply, merging Body and Sword as One, transforming into a long rainbow and soaring upward, in an instant reaching behind him.

Gao Ruowang didn’t wait for Zhang Yan to unleash a sword slash; he repeated his tactic, his body trembled again and transformed into a dozen Blood Essence Avatars fleeing separately. Suddenly, thunder roared in the sky, scattering most Blood Essences, with only one darting past, heading northwards.

Zhang Yan’s mind shifted; given this situation, without several hours of grinding effort, it’s certainly impossible to kill this man. Moreover, in the end, his Mana consumption would also be significant; if another enemy appears, it would be hard to handle. Therefore, he withdrew the sword light and didn’t pursue anymore, thinking, "This person’s tunneling light isn’t slow, not much different from mine, and with Blood Essence Avatars confusing perception, without the Forbidden Locking Heaven and Earth technique, I may gain the upper hand but still find it difficult to kill. It seems I’ll have to lure him over and try that move."

Gao Ruowang escaped from under the sword light, flying for several miles continuously, until reaching the far skies where he paused his figure, pinched a spell, and more than a hundred Blood Essences appeared around him again. Only then did he calm his Heart and Spirit.

Recalling the earlier situation, he was still feeling lingering fears, thinking, "Zhang Yan and I have almost equal Mana, and his Escape Skill surpasses mine. Since I can’t gain an advantage in these two aspects, I can only seek victory in Daoist Skills."

Cultivators in battle all leverage their strengths while avoiding weaknesses. He believed that with his centuries of cultivation, in the realm of spell transportation, he should be able to surpass Zhang Yan.

He took out a ghastly white shield from his sleeve. This item was thin in the middle, broad at both ends, with a ghastly and fierce ghost face on the surface that seemed alive, laughing and crying alternately. With a point of his finger, the ghost face on the shield let out a chilling scream, continuously begging for mercy.

Gao Ruowang coldly chuckled, sacrificing the shield into the air, and immediately a ghastly white mist fell down, covering his entire body.

This Dharma Treasure is named the "Corpse Skin Smiling Shield," a Mystical Artifact bestowed by his elders in the sect, originally made by skinning more than a thousand cultivators, refined using the Blood Essence Sect’s Secret Techniques, hence its fiercely vicious nature. Every time before use, it must be subdued and disciplined, which is why he rarely used it. But now, confronting Zhang Yan in spell battle, he took it out for protection.

Having prepared everything, he swung both sleeves, riding the wind forward.

Zhang Yan shared a similar intention with Gao Ruowang, thus he didn’t overly press ahead, first retracting the sword light to his side, and then with a surge of his mind, golden light suddenly appeared, and the Qiankun Leaf flew out, suspended above his head. He also stood on the Gang Cloud, floating forward.

The two slowly approached, and shortly reached within a hundred feet, where each halted their figures.

Gao Ruowang’s gaze fixed steadily ahead, seeing the five-colored Cloud Light radiating above Zhang Yan’s head and the shimmering water beneath his feet, seeming like it might transform into a tumultuous wave in the next moment. He thought to himself, "To take down this person, I must break this technique first."